FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER - COMING UP TO THE MAD SPRING SEASON

1.Photography is one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life.

As a photographer, we miss out. We miss out on family events; holidays; weekends; evenings; important milestones. We have a heart-aching void to be in of our own life’s picture, but it’s oddly coupled with a feeling of fullness and abounding joy when we get to take part in the life events (weddings; portrait sessions; engagements; 21^st, 30^th, 40^th, 50^th, 60^th birthday parties; buying and selling houses and more) of others. We are fueled. We are satisfied. We feel loved.

We know that what we do matters. Photos, especially to us, are WAY MORE than just ink on paper. We’ve photographed families, only to hear days or weeks later that someone we photographed tragically passed away. We’ve seen our work on your walls, displayed during funerals, and shared during some of the biggest events of your lives. It’s our honour, and our joy, to serve you in that way! When the years have passed, only the memories {and the photos} remain.

2.Your support and encouragement goes a long way… and inspires us to be our best!

So many photographers feel like no one understands (and maybe you don’t? we are a rare breed, after-all). So many photographers have a creativity-complex. We feel like we don’t stack-up. We aren’t good enough. We aren’t trained enough. We aren’t creative enough. When you tell the photographer in your life that she is supported, loved, seen, believed-in…that goes so far. That, my friend, is how to love a photographer. It might take extra time on your part; it might be uncomfortable; you might be in unfamiliar territory because you don’t see photos like she does…but it’s worth it. It is so, so, worth it. If you can’t say the words, start by sending a text.

“…Ask how my business is going or ask if you can help me somehow, share my name (referral) with others, encourage me with a ‘like’ or a ‘share’ on social media… it means the world to me!”

Honestly, engaging with us on social media is one of the most meaningful and easiest ways for you to support us.

What you may not know is that less than 10% of our social media fans actually see our posts… UNLESS people comment/like/share our posts. Want a tip on how to love your photographer online? Check this out! There’s this fancy algorithm on Facebook and Instagram {fun fact: did you know Insta is owned by Facebook?!} that determines the “worth” of our posts. If nobody interacts with a photo, Facebook and Instagram only show it to a handful of people {unless we pay to show it to more people}. But when there’s lots of interaction with that same photo, the social platforms decide it’s “worth” more… and shows the post to more people!

Seriously. You have no idea how much we value your “likes” and comments on our photos! When you engage with our posts you are literally saving us money. Pretend you’re handing your photographer a five dollar note every time you comment on their posts! We love it that much!

Don’t believe me? Check out your photographer’s Facebook page – have you seen EVERY one of those posts? Nope. How often you see a page’s posts is DIRECTLY related to how often you engage with that page. And that goes for ANY small business on social media – not just me.

So be liberal with those likes and comments, people! Your entrepreneurial friends depend on you!!!

3.Please respect that I am running a business.

Oh, maybe you thought I just snapped some pics with my fancy camera and photoshopped waistlines and added sun-flares here and there? I *can* see how you may think that, but please hear me. It takes $20,000 {at least} to start a photography business. It takes $5,000-$15,000 every single year to upgrade gear; purchase studio space; backdrops; marketing material; websites; convention tickets…you name it. We normally need to bring in $150-350 of profit per session to just break even {if we want to make a living wage, or even minimum wage, that number goes up}.

The costs involved with running a photography business are way higher than you may realise!

It’s no different than anyone else who runs a business. Yet, sometimes, we get flat-out asked for freebies. And, my dears, that is not how to love a photographer. When our friends, family and clients ask for discounts and free sessions – that puts us in an awkward place. When you do this, we feel disrespected, unworthy, and taken advantage of… by some of the people we love and trust the most. And that’s an uncomfortable feeling.

4.As your photographer, I want to share my journey with you.

I really do… but when we talk about our jobs, most people glaze over and get bored to tears. So, when we don’t talk about our day or tell you what we do, but it’s not because we don’t want to share! We just really don’t think you’ll care about Lightroom updates; or Canon’s newest lens and the gorgeous bokeh it’s going to produce. But, you know what?

If you want to know how to love a photographer, just start asking questions.

Ask about my latest shoot; ask about some of my personal victories; ask what inspires me; tell me what you love about my photos; ask about my day. For everyone hour we spend shooting photographs, we spend four to five hours editing and travelling. That’s a lot of alone time. While many of us love alone time, it can indeed get lonely. In fact, when asked how often they feel lonely,

63% of photographers report struggling with feeling lonely on a regular basis.

That’s a crazy high number! So, if you want to know how to love a photographer… simply engage with your photographer. Show her that what she does matters. Documenting the lives of others does indeed make a difference. Someday, in the circle of life, photos are all that’s left. And, I think that’s important. Don’t you?

5.How to love a photographer and encourage/support her {in tangible terms}.

Just let me reiterate. Photographers are unique; special; sparkly; weird. We know this about ourselves. If you want to know, straight-up, how to relate to and love your photographer, check out these suggestions. When they’re in the midst of busy season, from September to November, struggling with self-doubt, or struggling to make ends meet, here are some things they want to hear:

·“You’re going to make it and we’re going to help you achieve your goals.”

·“You were meant to be a photographer…this is where you belong.”

·“Wow, you work really hard and you’re getting more and more talented. You’re great at what you do and you’re really making a difference.”

·“Wow you look really pretty today {NOT, wow you’re still in your pjs!}”

·“What would you like from Zambrero’s?”

·“What kind of wine should I bring you?”

·“I never knew so much about what photographers really do, and I am proud of you for doing it all.”

This is what your photographer thinks when you learn to love them well…

If you’re already doing these things, your beloved photographer loves you and, chances are, you’re their favorite person in the world {even if they’re horrible at communicating that to you}! Thank you so much for your support. Here is how we feel when you encourage and support us….

·“A million dollars!!!”

·“Woo Hoo!! Yeah!! That was ME!!”

·“Encouraged to keep going; knowing they are proud of me.”

·“I’m the SHIZZZ!!!!”

·“Wow! I can conquer any struggle this business can throw my way!”

·“YES! I’m a rockstar!”

·“I’ve finally made it in their eyes… which brings me tears of joy!”

Your support. Your kind words. Your hugs. Your love? They matter to us. And they matter WAY MORE than you think.

If you take the time to understand and learn how to love a photographer… they’ll be so grateful. I promise.

At the end of the day, we just want to show and receive grace. That means we need to know when we’re not meeting your needs too! We want to help others. We want to build that storyline in pictures and know that it matters. We thank you for supporting us when sometimes we are so unsure about ourselves. We don’t always know how to communicate that to you…. so take this as our attempts to start a conversation with you. To open the door. To bring you into our story. And our journey. Because sometimes it’s lonely… and we want you to link arms with us and go along for the ride.

We thank you for loving us; for attempting to understand; and for the coffee/wine.